O-H ... UH-OH!

So, Joe Cleveland missed the first half of tonight's Sugar Bowl because of his real job, which is fine. He had friends giving him text updates while he plugged away on stories about high school basketball. And, judging by those texts, Ohio State was looking really good.

Then, I decided to watch the game, and just like that, their luck took a turn for the worse. Coincidence?

Seriously, I was pleasently surprised that Ohio State jumped on Arkansas as great as they did in the first half. I was worried that the tattoo controversy surrounding Terrelle Pryor and his junior co-horts would prove to be a distraction. Instead, it almost seemed like it served as motivation. They looked unstoppable.

But, in typical Tressel fashion, the Buckeyes went away from what was working in the first half in the second half. They allowed Arkansas to get back into it and steal the momentum. And, even though Ohio State was making some plays in the fourth quarter offensively, it didn't look like it was going to be enough.

Special teams have been a thorn in Ohio State's side all season long, and I always felt that, if they didn't correct those issues, it would come back to bite them in the ass when it counted. That blocked punt sure looked like it was going to lead to a game-winning touchdown, didn't it?

The walls in my house reverberated from Joe Cleveland's swearing at his TV. How do they let a punt get blocked? Especially in that situation.

Fortunately, college football has a rule that says, once a runner's knee is down, the play is blown dead. The Arkansas player couldn't scoop it up and run with it; he had to fall on it. Had this been the NFL, that would have been a touchdown and the game would have been over. But, it's not the NFL.

I don't know, but Ryan Mallett looked overrated to me. This is a "can't-miss" NFL prospect? He reminds me of Jake Locker, who all the draft pundits love but hasn't done jack in games. Mallett didn't wow me when he was at Michigan, and he certainly didn't wow me tonight. Sure, his receivers dropped a lot of passes, but come on. A true winner at QB wouldn't have made that terrible of a throw in that situation. It was great coverage by Solomon Thomas, but if Mallett was all that, he would have known better to not make that throw. I don't know, that's just Joe Cleveland's opinion.

I do feel that, even though OSU almost melted down in the second half, they helped put some of those pro-SEC, anti-Ohio State stereotypes to bed. Remember that Ohio State isn't quick enough to play with teams from the SEC. Remember that the Big Ten is an archaic conference that can't hold a candle to the SEC, and that Ohio State would be mediocre if they played in the SEC. I think they proved that they can play with the SEC's best and beat them. Sure, they're still 1-9 vs. the SEC in bowl games, but it's that one win that counts.

Joe Cleveland, however, was a bit conflicted about cheering for the Buckeyes in this one. He was not a happy person with Pryor and his buddies for selling their memorabilia (especially their gold pants trinkets they get for beating Michigan) for free tattoos. He almost wished Tressel would suspend all of those players for the bowl game, even though it would have meant a certain loss. He almost hoped Pryor would have a terrible game as a result. However, I'm an Ohio State fan first and foremost. I rooted for the Browns, Indians and Cavs in the past even though there were players on those teams I didn't care for, so why should this be different?

I would not be surprised, however, to see Pryor and Herron reneg on their "word" to Tressel that they will return for their senior years and go out for the draft. For Pryor, however, it's almost worth it to suck it up, take his suspension, and try to establish himself as a QB afterward. As of now, the NFL sees him more as a receiver and gimmick player instead of a bonafide QB, and that would likely mean a lower draft status and less money.

In the end, though, it's always good to see ESPN look bad. They love the SEC and hate the Big Ten, so it was good to see (and funny to see Mark May get booed when he tried to interview Cameron Heyward. He's such a hater.)

Joe Cleveland will enjoy this Buckeye bowl victory and hope that the SEC gets theirs later in the week when Auburn plays Oregon (Go Ducks!) And, now, he can turn his attention back to that Browns coaching search ...

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!